The Effect of Exercise Training on Lipid Profile and Blood Pressure in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is linked to various cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and low cardiorespiratory fitness. This study aimed to examine the impact of exercise training on serum lipid profile and blood pressure in women diagnosed with PCOS.

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, SID, Magiran, and Google Scholar databases to extract English and Persian articles published until September 2022. Meta-analysis was performed to examine the effect of exercise training on serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in women with PCOS. The standardized mean differences (SMD) or weighted mean differences (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test, and publication bias was evaluated using a funnel plot and Egger's test.

The results of a meta-analysis comprising 20 studies involving 1242 patients with PCOS demonstrated that exercise training significantly reduced serum total cholesterol [SMD=-0.3, (CI: -0.47 to -0.12), p=0.001], serum LDL [SMD=-0.26, (CI: -0.44 to -0.09), p=0.003], and SBP [WMD=-3.12, (CI: -4.52 to -1.73), p=0.001] in women with PCOS compared to the control group. However, exercise training did not result in a significant decrease in serum triglycerides [SMD=-0.12, (CI: -0.31 to 0.06), p=0.2], serum HDL [SMD=0.06, (CI: -0.14 to 0.26), p=0.5], and DBP [WMD=-0.82, (CI: -2.04 to 0.39), p=0.1] in women with PCOS compared to the control group.

The findings of this study indicate that exercise training leads to a reduction in certain cardiometabolic risk factors, including total serum cholesterol, LDL, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in women with PCOS. Therefore, exercise training is suggested as a non-pharmacological approach to mitigate the risk of cardiovascular complications for women with PCOS.